4/5 stars -
I really enjoyed this book. I was able to read it very quickly as the plot is constantly moving. It had me on the edge of my seat, always wondering what will happen next.
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This novel follows three foster sisters, told in alternate timelines of past and present, the reader gets to see how mistreatment in foster care as children, bonded these three sisters together for life. I really enjoyed the sisters’ relationship in this book.
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When human remains are found under their old foster home, the three sisters, Norah, Jessica and Alicia are forced to confront the horrors of their past.
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I really liked the pacing of this book but the only reason I gave it only 4 stars instead of 5 was because about halfway through the book I had a pretty good idea what the twist was. I figure that’s because I read so much mystery/thriller. I wasn’t completely shocked when the big reveal happened. Nonetheless, this book was cleverly written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters felt really real and genuine and I found myself invested in their life.
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Give this one a read if you like fast-paced thrillers with sisterly bonds!
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Also, I really liked the way Ms. Fairchild (the foster mom) was written in this book. We got to see the inner workings of her mind & what shaped her to make the decisions she does. I always like when authors humanize villains which adds complexity to the plot!

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This book enthralled me from the very beginning.

This one is for fans of The Housemaid and Verity!

Jessica, Norah (with an H), and Alicia are thrown together into a true house of horrors after varying stints through the foster care system. Their sisterhood and loyalty is truly the driving force behind their survival and working together to escape the terrifying "mother" they are forced to deal with.

This is a harrowing exploration of the foster care system on a whole and how dark and devious people can be even if they present with good intentions.

There are some heavy topics and triggers in this book so I would look up TWs before jumping in, but this was gripping, thrilling, and an absolute page turner. I really had no clue what was going to happen next even up until the very end.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an early copy.

What a wild adventure from start to finish. Sally Hepworth does not disappoint. I enjoyed this multi-layered story full of twists, turns, and shocking reveals. Highly suggest and recommend this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is the latest by one of the current thriller / domestic suspense queens. The story is told in multiple timelines, following three girls in foster care as children and adolescents and then as adults. Bones are found under the farmhouse where they lived with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. The dynamic between these 3 foster sisters and their evil caregiver was complex, interesting, and made for a page turning story that I couldn’t put down. This is my favorite Hepworth since The Mother in Law.

Interesting premise but then poof it gets maudlin and pulls in current items that lend nothing to the tale.
Another of those wish I had liked it better.

Ok so that blew my mind!
I'm afraid to even write a full review for fear of accidentally spoiling something.
This book left me completely unnerved. I felt so bad for Jessica, Norah and Alicia, and wished I could just take them home with me and protect them.
But the ending - the big reveal - holy crap. I think I was just run over by a freight train because I absolutely did not see that coming at all. The author literally just too me on a terrible journey through a foster home with a psychotic lady at its helm.
The multiple POVs and the alternating timelines were both perfect mechanisms to tell this story in a way that made all the details unravel right before my eyes from one page to the next. Each reveal seemed bigger than the last until we reached the very end when my mind was literally blown!
Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery! This is only the second book I've read by Sally Hepworth but it will most definitely not be my last.

Sally Hepworth has once again delivered a compelling narrative in 'Darling Girls.' From start to finish, the story held my attention, but it was the final chapter that truly elevated the book from a solid four-star read to a five-star masterpiece! Hepworth skillfully crafts an impactful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression. Bravo, Ms. Hepworth!

'Darling Girls' centers on the intertwined lives of three foster "sisters" who reunite after 25 years following a startling discovery of human bones at the site of their former foster home, Meadows Hill in Port Agatha. Jessica, Alicia, and Norah, bonded by their shared past, return to face detectives' inquiries. As they confront their memories of the abusive foster mother, Miss Fairchild, buried secrets resurface, painting a poignant picture of their tumultuous upbringing.

The book adeptly portrays the enduring repercussions of being raised by a manipulative and narcissistic figure like Miss Fairchild. Hepworth offers a compelling character study, delving into the manipulative prowess that allowed Miss Fairchild to control those around her.

I wholeheartedly endorse 'Darling Girls' for its abundance of twists and turns. The narrative kept me engaged late into the night, and the payoff in the conclusion was truly satisfying. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a riveting exploration of the lasting impacts of abuse and a gripping mystery.

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

Sally Hepworth is 100% on my list now of authors that I will always read the minute the book comes out. I loved this book and literally stayed up late to finish it.

The story is heartbreaking but uplifting. I loved all the characters - three very different women growing up together and fiercely protecting each other. Ms. Hepworth is excellent at characterization - what better career for a super Type-A person than home organization? So many little details on the characters were well done - hello, dog names!

The format is great that it is past and present but from all 3 characters' points of view. And the chapters with the psychiatrist - you don't know at first who is speaking - very clever.

The twists keep coming and I didn't expect them at all. And then the kicker of the very last pages which is the very definition of jaw-dropping!

This was a wild, twisty, suspenseful, thriller. I was not expecting half the things to happen. I did figure out the baby had been killed by the mother and step-father. This would make a great thriller book club pick, lots to talk about and asking what would you do in these girls' situations? As children and as adults? Trigger warnings for child abuse, obviously. I'll read anything by Sally Hepworth.

This was my first Sally Hepworth novel and I was so happy to get the ARC for it! This book was told in the POV’s of three women and two timelines. Following their present timeline as adult women and their past as young girls in a foster home. Their childhood was heartbreaking and the abuse they suffered at the hands of their wicked, cruel, narcissistic, psychotic, terrifying foster mother Miss Fairchild was so sad to read. Those chapters were tough because I ached for those little girls and it’s a horrible reminder of what children go through in the foster system in real life. Without giving anything away, the three sisters are forced back to the town they grew up in and come face to face again with their abuser Miss Fairchild. Each woman suffers different traumas and mental illnesses as a result of their horrible experiences. These struggles were written and handled so well. This book was bingeable and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the bond and strength Jessica, Norah, and Alicia had from the moment they met as little girls all the way into their adulthood. They showed resilience, unconditional love to one another, and the bravery to heal.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sally Hepworth is an automatic buy for me. She is so great at telling a story with twists, turns, and just a hint of madness. I love a story about dysfunctional families and found families. This book had both and what a wild ride it was.

Miss Fairchild was so well developed. I could almost see her and the incredibly mean things that she did to those girls. Hepworth depicted madness so well. I am one of three girls in our family - this resonated with me. Sister/sister bonds are the best. I am so glad they found each other. Hepworth wrote them so well.

“Being loved had been the goal of her life. Loving someone in return . . . that was just showing off.”

UGH! This made me tear up.

I read this book in less than 24 hours. I loved that the story focused on foster care as. I have recently been made aware of some of the lack of support of foster kids. The mystery and suspense of the 3 stories was very interesting. Highly recommend.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in return for a review, while I have a few Sally Hepworth books on my TBR pile, this was my first read. If you are bothered by child abuse, it’s might not be the book for you, but it was minimal in intensity in that aspect. I work with kids in foster care so I tend to gravitate to these storylines- but this was a wild ride. The (very) ending I did not see coming! Excellent and engaging read.

Foster sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia live with Miss Fairchild. Jessica was the only one from her very young age through her teens but when Norah arrived, her mother/daughter relationship with Miss Fairchild was threatened, even more when Alicia joined them. They did form bonds of sisterhood that have taken them through their entire lives. They were finally able to escape an abusive house.

The real story begins after that. Told with flashbacks and therapy sessions, the story takes on twists and turns until the very end.

I was fully engrossed in this story and couldn't put it down. I detected hints of the ending but not enough for me to figure it all out. Hepworth's style of telling the story was easy to follow (before and now) and gives the reader insight into everyone's lives. While I highly recommend this book for those who are looking for a fast paced engaging read, the reader who has foster care triggers should beware.

I was given this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sally Hepworth never disappoints! I will read anything that this author comes out with.

Darling Girls follows sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia as they are trying to navigate life after growing up in the foster care system and what unravels after they are called back to their old town after a body is discovered underneath their foster home.

This book kept me hooked so much that I forgot about all my other reads. The ending alone made this book a 5-star for me.

If you love a domestic/family thriller this book is for you!

I don’t think I’ve ever read a thriller quite like this one. It’s told from multiple POV, but it didn’t get confusing to me. And the end blew me away. Worth the read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest review..

Sisters Alicia, Jessica, and Norah’s lives are rocked when they are contacted by a detective regarding bones found under their childhood foster home. They are asked to come to the station and give any information they may know.

These sisters have spent a lifetime trying to forget the horrors that they experienced in that home. The horrors that brought them to be extremely close, yet struggling to fully cope with life even all these years later.

Begrudgingly, they make the drive to a town to which they never wished to return to recount their painful past experiences to the detectives.

Even worse, after they arrive they are forced to stand face to face with the woman who caused all of their suffering so many years ago.

As they recall memories to the detectives secrets come to the surface and reality is in question. The truth is out there, but who can be trusted to tell it?

🖤🖤🖤

This was an amazing read. I could not fly through it fast enough! I finished it in less than 24 hours.

I adore books with multiple character point of view as well as hopping timelines, and this definitely delivered on that!

The horrors these sisters faced throughout the book were hard to read at times, but it was told in a way that made puzzle pieces fit together and you couldn’t wait to find out more. You learn to love and empathize with each sister in their own way throughout the book. Their past and present versions.

I would definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. You won’t want to put this down. You will need to know what comes next- and who the heck was under that house?!

Darling Girls

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Sally Hepworth
Genre: Domestic Suspense
Dual Timeline
Release Date: April 23rd, 2024

Synopsis:
Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are all foster sisters who were fostered by the same woman, Miss Fairchild, 25 years ago. Bonded through their traumatic abuse from Miss Fairchild, the girls grew up to be inseparable and blindly loyal to one another. But when remains found under their own foster home are discovered, they are summoned to return by the police to help in the investigation. Returning to their place of trauma, and having to recount their abuse to the police again, has them turning inward and realizing the lasting affects their trauma has left on them. With the remains still unidentified, the darling girls once again have to plead their case that they weren’t always just a group of 3 girls.

I love a good domestic suspense novel. This is my first Sally Hepworth book, and her writing hooked me from the very beginning. I loved the complexity and depth to all the characters! Between the past and present, you see the evolution of how the girls all individually dealt with their trauma, and how vastly different their coping mechanisms were. This was a chilling and heart wrenching to read. The plot was definitely intriguing, if not disturbing, but this is definitely character driven. I didn’t find the ending shocking, because the author gives you shocking information so gradually through out the book, but the last chapter was a little twisty, and I enjoyed being left with that twist a lot! If you do decide to read this when it is released, please be mindful of the trigger warnings!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St Martins Press for this early copy in exchange for a review!

OH. MY. GOD 🤯 this book was AMAZING. I can’t count how many times I had to pick my jaw up off the floor or how many times my husband asked if I was OK because I kept gasping 😂 AND THE ENDING?!?!? This was my first book by this author but I can assure you it certainly will NOT be my last. I wish I could come up with something better to say but I’m still processing…best I can do is say RUN and grab your copy on April 23rd.

THANK YOU to the author, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this INCREDIBLE ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sally Hepworth has quickly become a favorite writer of mine. She writes adult contemporary fiction with a suspense angle that always delivers more than I expect from a thriller and I am always pleasantly surprised. This book was no exception. This "found family" drama is very tense and the mystery perpetuates throughout the narrative to the end. The family is a group of foster care sisters who have forged a strong bond after the trauma they endured as children. As someone who wants to be a foster parent, I am always interested in their stories both real and fiction so this topic obviously took me in. It's a heartbreaking, dark and emotional ride that I highly recommend, especially for fans of psychological domestic dramas. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.